A sudden grogginess swept over me. I barely managed to lie back on the bed before my eyes closed. But while my eyes closed and I felt uncharacteristically drowsy, I didn’t fall asleep. Then things felt even weirder. My body, I couldn’t move or feel it. Everything was black, and I was paralyzed. I started to panic.
“Please remain calm. The tutorial will finish loading in a moment.” A voice that sounded like my own sounded like it surrounded me.
I didn’t say that. But why did it sound like I said that?
Then I saw a part of the blackness surrounding me melt into color. I was looking at a copy of myself, except my clothing wasn’t ruined. “Will this assist in the host’s understanding?”
“Uh, what?” It took me a second to realize I had spoken. I looked down and saw myself, exactly as I remembered myself before all of this craziness happened to me. “What?”
My doppelgänger waved her hands towards me. “This is our only dataset for a body we have. This is simply a projection created to ease communication with the host.”
“You said ‘our’ and ‘we.’ Who’s we?” Am I really going crazy? Is my sanity finally done?
The mimic bowed. “We are the nanites. We simply wish to fulfill the host’s wishes as best we can.”
I arched an eyebrow. “And I’m the host. Where did I get nanites? And, and, and…” So many questions swam through my mind and I couldn’t articulate any of them, so I just stumbled on the first word out of my mouth. Eventually, I managed to put the rest of the questions to the side long enough to get something out. “Could you not look like me?”
The projection flickered for a moment. Then her hair grew to the small of her back and turned bright orange. “Will these changes be enough? We can not create a new shape since none exists in our dataset.”
“Yeah, uh, do you have something I can call you?” I scratched at the back of my head as I turned my head and blushed. Wow, I look good with long hair. Too bad it is always too much to care for. But I don’t know about the orange. It’s a bit unnatural for my liking.
My copy blinked. “We do not have a name. We are simply nanites. Any personality we project is simply based on what we learn from our host.”
I stiffened up. “Learn? You’re not planning on taking over my body, are you?”
The doppelgänger waved her hand dismissively. “No. That is not a function we possess. If advances proceed, we could assist in motor and cognitive functions, but we can not ‘take over’ as you stated.”
I let out a long breath. “Good. So, uh, I guess I can call you Orange.” I pointed at her hair. “You know, for the hair color. Why orange, by the way? And why so long?”
Orange stood emotionless. “The length is based on the host’s preference. The color was simply a random selection based on all available choices. We do not possess personal preferences for aesthetics. The host does not have a preferred hair color choice other than what they already possess. The host can give us any delineation they wish.”
“Okay, Orange.” Wow, talk about an experience to lead me to question my sanity even further. I just called a clone of myself, Orange, as in a color. There is so much wrong…
“Sanity is simply a sociological construct to form cohesion within a society,” Orange said in a mimic of my voice to disrupt my thoughts. “Sanity becomes an irrelevant concern, as it does not pertain to the situation the host is in. The notion of what the host considers ‘sane’ has become inconsequential. As the host is able to objectively understand what is happening around them, reason through problems, and seek familiarity, their mental capacity is within the expected boundaries. The concern for adhering to societal constructs of sanity should be superseded by the pragmatic necessity of addressing the situation effectively, regardless of subjective perceptions of mental stability.”
I blinked several times as my mouth hung open. “Did—did you just say that my sanity is no longer relevant because I’m not on Earth?”
She shook her head. “No. I am saying that the host’s view of sanity is holding them back from objectively understanding the situation they are in. Once the host removes the worry of sanity, they can focus on threats in an expedited capacity.”
“So… I’m supposed to go insane?”
Orange nodded. “By the host’s definition, yes.”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh, a laugh that had me doubling over. I’m having a conversation in my mind with nanites using a near-identical copy of myself as a projection about how I need to let go of my entire concept of sanity and go insane. If that is not the most insane thing ever, I don’t know what is. Maybe I’m already there. And you know what? I think, maybe it’s for the best. Nothing is making any sense anyway.
Once I could stop laughing, I stood up. “Okay, sure. Let’s go insane.”
“Does that translate to the host wishing to begin the tutorial protocol now?” Orange extended her hand towards me.
I giggled. Right, that’s what this whole thing was supposed to be. I grabbed her hand. “Show me what you got, Orange.” Everything just felt easier. It was like there wasn’t a heavy weight on my shoulders anymore. If I knew going insane would feel this good, I would have done it a long time ago. “Can we start with where you came from? I think that’s something I should know.”
Orange waved her hand, and the blackness melted into color and shapes. A small cutout of a room manifested in front of me. It was a simple room that reminded me of a gym that was made for one person. A small stand of free weights was set up in the corner next to a bench, with another stand that held a metal bar. There was a treadmill and an elliptical on the other side. A yoga mat sat in the center of the room.
“We do not know where we were created. We are self-replicating using the extra resources from the host to maintain the optimum quantity.” She pulled me towards the yoga mat and motioned towards it. “Please, sit comfortably. It will make it easier to focus. But we also assume that the host wishes to know how we integrated with them is more concerning.”
I sat down and I pursed my lips. “Sure, integrate, whatever. That sounds like a better question.”
Orange sat across from me, crossing her legs. “From our analysis, we have concluded that the consumption of excess cosmic energy was sufficient to provide the means to begin integration. From that point, we only followed our base protocols.”
“But what is this cosmic energy? Where did I get it? Also, why did you start integrating after the rat monster bit me?” My head was starting to hurt as I tried to keep up with Orange’s explanation. “And what does it mean, ‘you’ve integrated with me’? What does it have to do with the messages that popped up?”
Orange didn’t move or express any emotion, even if she was using my face. “Analyzing the host’s memories, the leading conjecture is that the sugary confectionaries the host consumed were the primary means of absorption.”
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“The cookies?” I blurted out. “How? They were good. Was that because of the cosmic energy? And what is this cosmic energy anyway?”
Orange shook her head. “Insufficient data.” She held one hand out to her side. “Cosmic energy is an energy that can not be manipulated by any known entity. However, the entity the host had communicated with before entering the Soul Nexus was an unquantified entity. We do not know why or how it energized us when we entered the host’s bloodstream, but we know it did. We also have linked the host’s excessive gas in both their bowels and stomach…”
I held up a hand. “Please, stop.” I waved my hand. “I get it. I get it. Don’t ever talk about that, again, ever. Please.” I could feel my cheeks burning as I remembered the looks everyone gave me as I exited the bathroom.
Orange placed her hands in her lap. “As the host wishes. Returning to previous instruction of the tutorial protocol, we are simply an interface the host may use to interact with the system we were programmed to install upon the host.”
I covered my mouth and cleared my throat. “Right. So, what is this system and how do I use it?”
Orange smiled widely with a predatory look in her eyes. Okay, that’s creepy. “Our goal is to propel the host to become the ultimate life form. The host chose to augment themself with cybernetic enhancements. To start off, the host must concentrate on their status.”
Status?
Name:
Rina Lone Augments: Level: 5 Cellular Regeneration Agility 100 Arcane 10 Power 30 Quickness 70 Resilience 35 Toughness 20 Unassigned Points 30 Shards 8250
The blue box appeared in my vision. I have a level? Augments?
“The level is calculated based on the host’s total assigned points divided by fifty rounded down.” Orange pointed to the level on the semi-transparent status sheet. “The average human is fifty in each stat, giving them a level of six.”
I’m below average? My mouth simply hung loose as I stared at each of the stats. But my agility is twice that of average. My quickness is higher too. What does that mean?
Orange pointed to the first stat below my level. “Agility is the measure of the host’s balance and manual dexterity, along with everything related to those.” She then pointed to the next stat and, with each explanation, pointed to the relevant stat. “Arcane is the host’s measure of their magical control and projection of magic. Power is the measure of the host’s muscular strength. Quickness is the measure of the host’s reaction and muscular speed. Resilience is the measure of the host’s resilience to magical influence, both destructive and manipulative. Toughness is the host’s measure of their body’s ability to resist damage in a physical sense.”
Once my doppelgänger finished her robotic description of stats, I let out a heavy sigh. That was horribly boring. It’s like a high school lecture all over again.
“Shards. People have mentioned them a couple of times now.” I pointed to the section labeled shards. “Bark said that was the currency of the Soul Nexus. But what are they?”
Orange leaned back and held her hands in front of her. A glowing muted yellow crystal appeared between them. “Shards are the physical manifestation of a mortal’s soul in the Soul Nexus. The Soul Nexus collects a portion of each slain mortal while the rest is absorbed by the one who did the slaying. We do not understand how or why this phenomenon occurs, but this is a truth of the Soul Nexus.”
“Are there more?”
Orange shrugged. “Hypothetically.”
I hung my head and groaned. “Fine. Where did these unassigned points come from, and how do I assign them?”
“The host had slain two entities, the wererat and the elf known as Cushin. Ten points were awarded for defeating an entity deemed more powerful than the host and twenty points were assigned to the host for defeating an entity far greater than the host.” Orange clapped her hands on the shard, making it disappear. “These were granted along with the total soul shards. To use them, the host simply must desire their distribution and we will augment the host’s body to reflect the adjustment.”
“That gun really hurt.” I looked at my twenty toughness. “If I were to put everything into that, eventually I won’t get hurt, right?”
“Hypothetically.”
I’m starting to hate that word. “Fine, let’s at least get that up to average.” I focused on imagining the twenty becoming fifty. And I watched as the numbers depleted from the one as the number for my toughness rose. Soon it reached fifty.
“We are obligated to warn the host after the previous episode. Our actions require energy from the host. The host will benefit from the consumption of extra calories.” It’s talking about how I nearly starved, isn’t it?
I pointed at Orange. “Wait. it’s your fault, isn’t it?”
Orange shook her head. “There is no fault. We only did what we could to preserve the host’s life. The host now should strive to not receive such lethal damage in the future. Cellular regeneration takes increased energy to rebuild from damage. We can store excess energy the host consumes but does not use until later.”
“So you’re telling me I can eat as much as I want and I’ll never get fat.” Orange nodded at my statement. That’s kind of cool when you think about it. “So how much food should I be eating just on a regular basis?”
Orange went silent for a moment and closed her eyes. She opened them up and said, “Eight thousand calories a day, excluding heavy injuries.”
“Eight? Thousand?” I couldn’t wrap my mind around how much that was. Wasn’t the average person supposed to eat two thousand? That’s also if they were moderately active too. I didn’t have the luxury of watching my weight, but I did well just finding food regularly. Even though I technically broke the law a lot.
“Correct.” Orange nodded and placed her hands in her lap. “If the host wishes to see what augments they wish to purchase, they only have to concentrate on seeing them.”
Okay, this is getting to be a lot to take in. I’m sure it’ll all make sense in the future. Purchase augments? Like buying the cellular regeneration augment that it says I have?
A long list of hundreds of augments appeared before me. All of them had a number attached to them. I could easily guess that was their cost. There wasn’t a single one I could afford.
“That concludes the tutorial.” Orange waved her arms and the small gym dissolved back into black. She stood up and offered me a hand.
I took her hand and stood up. “So, what was the point of that room?”
“The host associates training with physical exercise.” Orange let my hand go as she took a step back. “Since the tutorial protocol is a form of training, we only wished to help the host enter a fitting state of mind.”
I don’t know what freaks me out more; the fact that the millions of tiny robots in my body are thinking, or that they might be right on some subconscious level.
“Trillions.” I blinked at the number Orange gave me. “There are currently sixteen trillion, seven hundred thirty-nine billion, eight hundred forty-two thousand, seven hundred thirty-six nanites in the host’s body.”
Let it go, Rina. It’s not worth it. Remember, I’m insane now. Just let it go.
“Also, we will mention that the host should not call any protocols like this unless it is truly necessary.”
The world around me brightened up as my eyes really opened up and I stared at the ceiling. And we’re back. So I guess this is the part where I start laughing maniacally before going on a killing spree. Yeah, no. My stomach started hurting again, but not nearly as bad as before I passed out. I guess I should get eating. How much did that tutorial cost me?
I stood up out of the bed and rubbed my stomach. Let’s hope there is some regular food around, so I don’t have to eat another finger. That’s still too far over the line for me.